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Pleased with myself, I let a small smile play on my lips as we watch each other. Like hunter and prey, I have her in my sight now. Let the game begin.
She’s different—so different from the brand of women that fill the rest of the room—but I’m in my element now. Her steady gaze tells me she’s interested too, and I’m given the green light to make my move.
Drew clasps his hand down onto my shoulder with a thud. “The brunette?”
I blink and glance at him for a moment, again having forgotten he was there, but when I look back at the girl, her eyes are no longer locked on me.
“No, the redhead,” I reply quickly.
“Aw darn, I would have liked a little friendly competition.” Drew steps away from the bar and toward the girls.
He pauses after a few steps when I don’t move and glances over his shoulder at me. “You coming, or what?”
I hesitate for a moment. I’m not sure I really want Drew as my wingman, but he is the most easily recognizable of anyone in this club tonight, so maybe he’s the right choice.
As long as he doesn’t swoop in and catch her eye ahead of me.
With a calculated inhale, I summon the courage and the smooth demeanor I know so well how to fake and follow him away from the bar.
THREE
Sophie
He’s walking toward me.
My palms are sweating.
Wait, what have I done?
My heart thumps so loudly in my chest that I’m sure everyone in the room must hear it. The handsome stranger flanks Drew as they move in our direction, but his body language exudes the confidence of someone who’d usually lead.
For the last ten minutes, we’ve played a game of cat and mouse, catching glances and exchanging a sort of wordless conversation. But I’m not completely sure what we’ve been talking about.
I spotted him mere moments after Leah saw Drew. He quickly looked away the first time we made eye contact, but after that, his gaze has grown more concentrated and intentional. He has his dark curls pulled behind his head in a sort of man-bun that would usually have me retching. But on him, it’s just plain…sexy. I want to run my fingers through whatever is restraining those curls and see how they’ll look as they tumble down. His jawline is framed with dark stubble, and he’s sharply dressed in dark jeans and a navy-blue jacket.
The two of them have been standing together at the bar, and once I knew he was there, my brain turned to complete mush. He’s like…the kind of handsome that turns my knees to jello. It’s actually quite shocking how quickly I’ve become enthralled from all the way across the room. There’s a sort of brazen confidence in the way his eyes traveled languidly down to my legs and then slowly back up again.
During our little game, I somehow summoned the courage to continue to hold his gaze, choosing not to shy away for once. My own assuredness surprised me, almost as if some other part of me was acting on behalf of my wimpy brain. And now he’s making his move toward me.
Blood begins to rush from my head as a dizzying nervousness replaces it. I look down at the drink in my hand. Am I drunk already? I’m not used to being so immediately captivated by someone like this.
As he and Drew grow closer to us, I manage to tap Leah on the shoulder and nod for her to turn around. Her eyes meet mine with question and then she spins slowly just as Drew appears behind her.
Knowing how excited she is, I brace myself to help her get the words out if she fumbles, but I’m not even sure I’ll be able to speak either.
“Ladies…” Drew smirks at the two of us, his bright white teeth bared for all to see.
I nod with a small smile, not allowing myself to look at the other man right away. I sense his presence just to Drew’s left—my right—without seeing him. That’s all I can handle for the moment.
Leah pauses for just a second, and as her best friend, I can see the panic wash over her face briefly before she covers it up with a flirtatious grin. “Hi, boys.”
Drew holds his hand out to hers. “I’m Drew, and you are?”
“Such a fan…” She winks. “I’m Leah.”
“Oh well, thank you…Leah.” He repeats her name with extra emphasis as he looks down at her through his deep blue eyes. He gestures to the man next to him. “Have you ladies met Kai?”
With extreme reluctance, I shift my gaze to Kai, starting at his chest and slowly raising my eyes to meet his.
